


Iridescent

by All_My_Characters_Are_Dead



Series: Wingbeats [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Dragonrider AU, M/M, once again no one asked for this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-05-28 10:35:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6325639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead/pseuds/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Each year, flocks are formed by putting two senior dragon/rider pairs, two intermediate pairs, and five rookie pairs together. This year, Riders Sugawara and Yaku have been put in charge of Trainee Flock One. They'll have to convince the rider trainees to get along, get the dragons to cooperate - no one is sure how they ended up with every single "problem" dragon - and hopefully keep their intermediate riders, Oikawa and Nishinoya, from arguing too much over whose dragon is better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gathering the Flock

"Suga! Did you hear?" Yaku jogged up to his friend and fellow dragon rider.

"That you and I are in charge of some of this year's new riders and dragons?" Suga asked, grinning. "Yeah, I heard."

"But did you hear that they're giving us Oikawa and Nishinoya as our intermediates? And we've got all the problem dragons in our flock," Yaku sighed. Suga laughed.

"We'll have our hands full, then. Did they assign you a new dragon yet?"

"Yeah. One of last year's hatchlings," Yaku grumbled. Suga paused, studying his friend's irritated expression.

"No. Not..."

"Yeah. They gave me _Haiba_ ," Yaku confirmed with a grimace. Suga laughed.

"After what happened with Bokuto, you'd think they wouldn't give you the really excitable ones anymore," Suga commented. "Speaking of which, when you say we got the problem dragons..."

"Bokuto and Kuroo, _and_ Kyoutani," Yaku confirmed. "They even gave us that weird, tricky pink one, Hanamaki. As if Haiba wasn't bad enough."

"I thought for sure they would separate Bokuto and Kuroo," Suga admitted. "But Haiba isn't that bad. He's just really energetic."

"They gave us Hinata, too," Yaku said flatly. "The only positive side to this is that with Oikawa, we get his dragon, and that means your dragon will have help keeping the young ones in line, since I'm getting a hatchling."

"I'm sure it'll all work out," Suga assured him. "Let's pick up Daichi and then go have a look at the rider candidates, okay?" he added. Yaku nodded, and together, they headed for Suga's current quarters, which were in the area reserved for dragons and riders who were paired, but not part of a flock. Soon, Suga and his dragon would move to wherever the leaders decided to house their soon-to-be-formed flock.

"Suga, you're back early," rumbled a low, soft voice as the two riders entered the cave. A midnight-black dragon, curled up on his low sleeping ledge, lifted his head and regarded them calmly.

"Hey, Daichi," Suga greeted him, crossing the cave and reaching up to slide his fingers into a slight gap between his scales, scratching at the dragon's hide. "We got our dragons assigned. Want to come see the rider candidates?" The dragon sighed happily, then pulled away from Suga's hand and shifted to his human form.

"Which dragons did we get?" he asked, his voice not as deep in human form.

"Bokuto, Kuroo, Hinata, Hanamaki, and Kyoutani," Suga rattled off. "Yaku got Haiba, too." Daichi glanced at Yaku.

"After what happened with Bokuto?"

"It wasn't that bad, okay? I'm just fully aware that he needs a steady, patient partner, one who won't be asked to help out any dragon needing a more experienced rider for the day," Yaku grouched.

"At least you already know all of the dragons, so you already know what we're looking for in trainees," Suga pointed out. Because he hadn't had a dragon of his own for the last few months, Yaku had gotten familiar enough with the young ones that he'd already mentioned what kind of riders each dragon should have to Suga and anyone else who might end up leading a new flock. Daichi and Suga exchanged amused looks, but their conversation was cut short as the three of them reached the area where the rider trainees who had been learning everything they could without actually getting on a dragon's back were milling around. A few of them noticed the trio approaching and bowed in greeting.

"Are you guys senior riders?" an excitable trainee demanded, watching them with wide eyes.

"I'm Rider Yaku Morisuke," Yaku replied. "I'll be one of Flock One's leaders."

"I'm the other leader, Rider Sugawara Koushi," Suga added, smiling as the trainees gathered around. When he was sure he had their attention, he added, "This is my dragon, Sawamura." The trainees turned their gazes to Daichi, who smiled reassuringly.

"It's an honor to meet you," one of the trainees spoke up, stepping in front of a few of the others and bowing. "I'm Trainee Yahaba Shigeru. Would it be rude to ask to see your dragon form?" Daichi glanced at Suga, who shrugged, indicating Daichi should answer however he wanted.

"If you walk up to just any dragon who's in human form, it would be rude. But since you're a trainee, and I'm going to be one of this year's dragon instructors, it's fine," he said. "Everyone will have to stand back, though." The trainees stepped back hesitantly. Suga scanned their expressions, taking note. Yahaba looked excited and determined. A pair of quiet, reserved trainees with matching impassive expressions off to the side caught his attention, one watching out of the corner of his eye, the other tilting his head. Suga smiled to himself; those two were focused on Daichi, but were either trying to hide it, or were naturally calm. One of the trainees, near Yahaba, was watching Daichi intently, his whole concentration fixed on the dragon. "A little farther," Daichi urged, amusement evident. Some of the trainees squeaked; most of them had never seen a dragon up close, and had probably underestimated how much space one took up. Once he was satisfied with the clear space around himself, he shifted. One of the trainees in the front line squeaked and fell back. While Suga wouldn't normally count that as points against a trainee, with as rambunctious as the young dragons in their flock were, the senior rider was looking for slightly more steady riders.

Daichi stretched, his talons scraping at the ground, back arching in an almost catlike manner and wings spreading, casting shadows over the properly awed trainees. His deep black scales didn't so much reflect light as absorb it as he crouched and lowered his head. A simple silver swirl over his heart was the only section of his hide that was lighter than the rest. Suga stepped forward to scratch his dragon's chin as he scanned the trainees again. The two calm ones he'd noticed earlier had moved closer, and the one near Yahaba was eyeing Daichi's wingspan.

"Thank you," Yahaba said, bowing again. He was one of the few trainees in the front line that hadn't shied away. Whether he was actually unafraid, or whether he was just hiding it, Suga was sure he'd be able to handle one of the wild dragons in their Flock.

"Made your choices yet?" Yaku murmured.

"I have a few in mind, yes," Suga replied. "Should we take them with us to meet the dragons?" Yaku nodded, and Suga set off through the crowd.

"Trainee Yahaba, you two, and you," he called, pointing to each trainee. "We're going on a field trip." The two calm ones blinked at him. The shorter of the two, blond with black roots showing, stepped behind his companion as though that would hide him. "It'll be fun, I promise." The four trainees gathered hesitantly, three of them looking like they didn't know what exactly was going on. But the fourth, the one who'd been eyeing Daichi's wingspan, seemed like he knew exactly what was happening. "Daichi, meet us there?" The dragon chuckled, then launched himself into the air, wings beating with enough force to buffet the trainees and almost knock them off their feet. "You four, follow us," Suga added.

"Where are we going?" Yahaba asked.

"To see the dragons," the one who'd been standing near him earlier answered. Suga nodded approvingly.

"What are your names?" Yaku questioned as they started walking.

"I'm Trainee Kageyama Tobio," answered the one who apparently knew where they were going. Suga recognized the name; he was the son of a dragon rider who'd retired from active duty when her son was born, but they'd stayed close enough that Kageyama had been raised around dragons.

"Trainee Akaashi Keiji," said the taller of the two calm ones. "And this is Trainee Kozume Kenma."

"This way," Yaku said, leading them toward where the young dragons were housed. "The dragons will be moving into Flock One's new quarters this afternoon, but for now, they're still with the unassigned ones," he explained. The air shuddered with wingbeats. "Ah. Here he comes," Yaku sighed. A long, silvery-gray dragon with limbs that semed almost too long for his body landed in front of them, making excited chirping noises. "Haiba, stop doing that. You're not a hatchling anymore," Yaku grumbled. The dragon ducked its head and nudged Yaku with his snout enthusiastically.

"But I'm happy! I heard you're going to be my rider!" the dragon replied, wiggling excitedly.

"Trainees," Yaku said, ignoring the dragon's continued antics, "This is Haiba. He's the dragon I'll be working with this year." The trainees stared at the huge, wiggling, overly excitable dragon, then at the rather short and serious-looking rider who had been assigned to him.

"Yaku is the best rider! Even if he is really short!" Haiba exclaimed. Yaku glared and swatted at the dragon's muzzle, and he reared his head back, not quite fast enough to avoid it.

"Don't just charge in!" Daichi's voice bellowed as the sound of scampering talons and shuffling wings distracted the trainees from Yaku and his dragon. Two more dragons were running toward them at full speed. One was significantly smaller than any of the ones the trainees had met so far, with bright orange scales. The other had mostly white scales, with streaks of black along his neck, sides, and wings, and was already almost as large as Daichi, despite not being completely grown yet. "I said, _don't_!" Daichi roared, swooping out of the sky and landing between the trainees and the two younger dragons, who both skidded to a stop and stared at Daichi. "Walk over. Calmly," the older dragon ordered. The two obeyed, moving around Daichi and finishing their approach in a less terrifyingly exuberant manner.

"Trainees, these are two of the young dragons who are going to be part of Flock One," Yaku announced, walking away from Haiba and approaching the two newcomers instead. "Their names are Hinata and Bokuto," he added, indicating the orange and black-and-white dragons respectively. "Come forward and meet them." Kageyama was the first one to step forward, and he approached the black and white dragon first, bowing and introducing himself. Each of the trainees followed his example. Both dragons bounced in place and greeted the humans excitedly, Hinata nudging each trainee cheerfully, and Bokuto nearly bouncing off into the air. Akaashi was the last one to approach Bokuto, and the dragon fluttered his wings and was about to renew his bouncing routine, but then he froze. Yaku frowned; he'd never seen Bokuto _not_ bounce around when being introduced to a new person. The senior rider stepped forward, ready to intervene if something was bothering the dragon.

"You're pretty," Bokuto announced, lowering his head to Akaashi's level and staring at him intently, body completely still. Akaashi blinked at the dragon.

"Thank you," he said calmly. "Your scales are very striking." Hearing that, Bokuto straightened up again and turned in place, spreading his wings and twisting to show off his scales.

"Please don't knock Hinata over," Akaashi murmured when Bokuto almost did just that. The dragon paused, then shifted farther from his companion, closer to Akaashi. Yaku turned to Suga and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You have worked a miracle," Yaku announced. Suga laughed.

"You said you wanted calm ones," Suga pointed out. Kageyama, who'd been listening to the two flock leaders, tilted his head.

"I don't understand," the trainee murmured.

"Yaku's really good at figuring out what kind of rider dragons work best with," Suga explained. "He tells flock leaders and commanders his suggestions for each dragon, and then we try to introduce pairs we think will work together. Of course, the final choice of what rider they're permanently assigned to is usually up to the dragon."

"What about if two dragons request the same rider?" Kageyama asked.

"Ah, then someone else decides. Sometimes the rider, or if the commanders have a strong opinion, they might say something. You'd have to talk to Rider Oikawa about that," Suga replied.

"What's this about Rider Oikawa?" Suga shook his head as he recognized that voice; he should have known Oikawa would find out Suga and Yaku were taking a few trainees to the dragons.

"Trainees, meet one of Flock One's intermediate riders," Suga announced. "Oikawa Tooru." All four trainees turned to study the newcomer, who grinned brightly and walked up to them. Yahaba opened his mouth to greet Oikawa, but Kageyama spoke first.

"Are you Iwaizumi?" Kageyama asked, staring past Oikawa at the frowning man who'd followed the rider. Oikawa's smile flickered for an instant, but then he slung an arm around his companion's shoulders.

"This is Iwa-chan, my dragon," Oikawa confirmed. Iwaizumi sighed and poked at his side, making Oikawa jump and pout in protest.

"You must be some of the new trainees," Iwaizumi observed. His gaze scanned the humans, then shot to the dragons. "Kyoutani and the others didn't come to meet them?"

"Kyoutani wouldn't come out of his cave," Hinata complained. "Even when I told him there were trainees coming!"

"Kuroo was eating," Bokuto added helpfully. "Who knows where Hanamaki went."

"Hanamaki found a rider on his own!" crowed a smug voice. A huge bronze dragon descended, heavy wingbeats making the air shake, and landed neatly beside Daichi, two people on his back. A smaller, pink-scaled dragon, landed less neatly nearby. Daichi glared at the pink one.

"You what?"

"It's fine, it's one of the trainees," the smaller of the two on the bronze dragon's back said. He slid to the ground and grinned. "Intermediate Rider Nishinoya Yuu, assigned to Flock One," he introduced himself. "And that's my dragon, Azumane," he added, patting the dragon's foreleg cheerfully. The person still on Azumane's back slowly dismounted.

"Mattsun?" Oikawa blinked, apparently recognizing the trainee.

"You know him?" Nishinoya asked.

"We're from the same village," Oikawa answered. The trainee waved.

"Matsukawa Issei," he introduced himself.

"And the pink dragon who apparently wants to get Trainee Matsukawa in trouble for sneaking off to the dragons without supervision is Hanamaki," Yaku said, glaring at the pink dragon.

"It's fine. We needed a fifth trainee anyway," Suga said. "And if he and Hanamaki already get along, we might as well try it."

"What are we trying?" A lithe red dragon seemed to appear out of nowhere and settled himself beside Bokuto, resting his crimson chin on top of the other dragon's head.

"You're late, Kuroo," Daichi growled. The red dragon flicked his tail dismissively.

"Not as late as Kyoutani," he pointed out.

"He's been watching from up there anyway," Kenma spoke up, pointing to a nearby rocky overhang. Everyone paused, staring at the quiet trainee.

"You noticed?" Kuroo asked, incredulous.

"Red scales aren't subtle," Kenma replied. Then he fell silent again. Suga smiled to himself.

"Well, if we can just get Kyoutani out here, we'll have all of the members of this year's Trainee Flock One," he said.

"I'll fetch him," Iwaizumi volunteered. Daichi nodded, and Iwaizumi stepped away from the group, then shifted to his dragon form. Dark, jade-green scales shone, and lighter green wings were made translucent by the sun as he stretched. A swirling white mark on his chest, over his heart, contrasted brightly with the rest of his scales. He was larger than Daichi, taller at the shoulder and broader. Iwaizumi crouched low, muscles bunching beneath his scales, then leaped into the sky, wings beating at the air as he flew toward the caves.

"You have a green dragon," Yahaba murmured, glancing at Oikawa with something that might have been awe on his face. Green was a rare coloring in dragons, especially dragons that had been born in the wild. Coloring like Bokuto's streaks of black and white typically only showed up in pedigree dragons.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Oikawa replied proudly, grinning. Nishinoya frowned and opened his mouth. Knowing that the short rider was probably about to start bragging about his own dragon, Suga interrupted.

"Since we have almost everyone here, there's something I want to say," the flock leader announced. "Trainees - Matsukawa included - I'll be giving your names to the commanders to request you five be assigned to Flock One. You're allowed to request a different flock if you think this one isn't a good fit for you, but I hope you'll all be moving into our flock's quarters in a few days." Before the trainees could reply, heavy wingbeats announced the return of Iwaizumi, who had a golden dragon with black streaks on his muzzle and talons in tow. "And here's our fifth unassigned dragon, Kyoutani," Suga told them. The dragon landed and glared as the trainees were introduced.

A bell rang out, telling them that it was time for the trainees to get their lunch before their afternoon training began.

"You're all free to go," Yaku said. "We'll be putting in our requests shortly, so expect someone to ask you if you accept or not by this time tomorrow." The trainees bowed, and the four Suga had chosen left. Matsukawa lingered, glancing from Hanamaki to the flock leaders. The pink dragon shifted his weight from side to side, glancing at the older dragons nervously. "You can say goodbye," Yaku told them. Matsukawa hurried over to the pink dragon, who lowered his head. For a few seconds, they whispered together. Then Matsukawa patted the dragon's snout before turning and following the other trainees.

"I don't like them," Kyoutani growled as soon as they were gone. Iwaizumi shouldered him with enough force to catch his attention but not enough to knock him over.

"You don't like anyone the first time you meet them," Iwaizumi replied. "Give them a chance." Kyoutani huffed and turned away.

"You think when the year of training is over, they'll rename us the Troublesome Dragons Flock if everyone stays together?" Yaku muttered. Suga sighed.

"I hope not."


	2. First Flight

The five trainees were formally assigned to Flock One the next morning, and told to report to the flock's new quarters. Kageyama was the first one to arrive, so he looked around while he waited. Nine caverns were carved into a cliff face at the training end of the riders' base, each with an adjoining apartment for the dragons' riders. All of the caves were occupied, but only the senior and intermediate riders would be sleeping in rooms connected to the caves, Kageyama knew. He and the other trainees would be sleeping in the small house at the foot of the cliff, right next to the entrance to the tunnels that led to the back entrances to the caves.

"You're here awfully early," someone commented. Kageyama whirled and found Iwaizumi in human form, arms crossed and head tilted curiously. "Did you think that getting here early would give you a chance to get to know the dragons before anyone else?" Kageyama tensed. The thought had crossed his mind. After all, since dragons chose their permanent riders, if he could befriend one of the dragons and form a partnership, he'd be guaranteed a spot in a flock when he became a fully fledged rider. "Just so you know, Suga and Yaku are probably planning on doing something similar to what Suga's flock leader did when he was a trainee. You won't be assigned to a dragon and hope it works out. You'll get to know all of the dragons in the flock." Kageyama tilted his head.

"I thought flock leaders usually assigned the most skilled trainees to the most promising dragons," he protested. Iwaizumi chuckled.

"Usually, yeah. But that can cause problems, especially if a dragon and trainee have a previous relationship." the dragon pointed out. "Besides. A skilled rider and a promising dragon don't make a partnership. Trust, respect, and time do." Before Kageyama could think of a response, the sound of claws on stone drew his attention to an approaching dragon - the little orange one, Hinata.

"Hajime! Kentarou won't come out of his cave!" Hinata complained. Iwaizumi growled.

"All right. Stay here with the trainee," he ordered. Then he moved toward the cliff, shifted to dragon form, and leaped to the mouth of one of the caves, vanishing inside. Kageyama stared after him.

"You're really impressed with Hajime - I mean, Iwaizumi, aren't you?" Hinata noticed. Kageyama blinked and frowned at the orange dragon.

"Well, of course. He's the strongest dragon anyone's ever brought in from the wild," Kageyama replied. "He's a good size, large and powerful but he's still really agile. And he's smart. His rider is one of the best, too."

"You know how weird that sounds, right?" Hinata asked. Kageyama glared at him. "You almost sound like you want to ride him."

"Not him specifically," Kageyama grumbled. "Just a dragon like him. Then again, no one would admit to wanting to ride Iwaizumi, because if he didn't kill them, his rider would."

"What's so great about a big dragon?" Hinata demanded, tail lashing. "A small dragon can be just as good!"

"It's not about the size of the dragon. Or the rider, for that matter. It's about how they connect with each other to bring out their potential." Kageyama and Hinata turned and found Suga standing there, the four other trainees behind him. "The other dragons will be here soon, and before they get here, there's something I want to say. This year isn't about who's the best trainee or the best dragon or even the best pair. It's about you five trainees learning how to match the dragons. You might find a permanent partner, or you might not. That doesn't determine whether you'll be accepted as a fully fledged dragon rider. What matters is that you take this year and learn how to improve your skills and work with dragons and each other." As Suga finished speaking, the air was suddenly filled with the wingbeats of nine dragons descending around them. Three - Azumane, Iwaizumi, and Haiba - had their riders on their backs. "Now, for the first few days, there will be a different arrangement of dragons and riders each day. Once each rider has worked with each dragon a few times, you'll be allowed to choose your own training partners. For today, though, we're assigning partners."

"Before we do, there's one thing I want to add," Yaku said from his perch on Lev's back. "In a flock, we trust each other. But that trust is earned. So the dragons call each other by their given names, and the senior and intermediate riders might use them, too. Trainees may only call a dragon by their given name after that dragon has given permission. Understood?" The trainees nodded.

"Good. Then for today's assignments: Kageyama with Kyoutani, Kenma with Hinata, Matsukawa with Kuroo, Akaashi with Hanamaki, and Yahaba with Bokuto. Mount up," Suga ordered.

"But there aren't any saddles," Yahaba pointed out. Suga grinned.

"We're not trick flying, and we're just going over to the training ground. Besides, bareback builds trust faster, anyway. So mount up," the flock leader urged. The trainees exchanged nervous glances.

"Bareback isn't really safe, is it?" Kenma murmured.

"We've been working with the young ones. And if you fall, Nishinoya and Azumane will catch you," Suga assured them. "It's plenty safe, so come on, don't be shy." To everyone's surprise, Akaashi was the first one to move. He walked up to Hanamaki and bowed.

"May I?" he asked respectfully. The pink dragon nodded and crouched low to the ground. Akaashi paused, studying the expanse of scales in front of him, then carefully pulled himself up to the spot where Hanamaki's neck joined his shoulders, just in front of his wing joints, where a saddle would usually go. He settled in place and processed the fact that when the dragon beneath him moved, he could very well be thrown off.

"Well done, Akaashi," Suga congratulated. "Now the rest of you." Kenma had the easiest time getting onto his assigned dragon, since Hinata was smaller and lower to the ground. Matsukawa scrambled up Kuroo's side and settled on his back like he was used to climbing dragons without any sort of saddle. Then again, considering the fact that he and Hanamaki apparently already knew each other pretty well, maybe Matsukawa was used to climbing dragons. Bokuto was so excited that he accidentally knocked Yahaba down before the trainee could even try to get on his back, but Yahaba just sighed.

"Bokuto," Yaku snapped. The dragon huffed, suddenly rather subdued, and stayed still as Yahaba climbed onto his back. That left only Kageyama on the ground, and Kyoutani was glaring at him and stepping away every time Kageyama approached. "Kyoutani!"

"I told you, I don't want some random human on my back just because you and Suga think he's good," the dragon snapped.

"You promised you'd at least give them a chance," Yaku reminded him.

"Kentarou, behave," Iwaizumi growled. Kyoutani lowered his head, glancing at Iwaizumi. Kageyama moved forward again, and Kyoutani snarled at him. "Kentarou!"

"I don't like this one," Kyoutani replied sullenly. For a long moment, the atmosphere around them was tense.

"If Kyou-chan is so grumpy, maybe he's feeling scared around the new riders," Oikawa spoke up. Yaku nodded thoughtfully.

"I would take him, but I need to get Haiba here into shape," the senior rider commented.

"And we need Noya with his own dragon in case someone falls," Suga added. Oikawa nodded, then locked gazes with Suga.

"We're the intermediate pair," Iwaizumi rumbled, craning his neck to nuzzle at Oikawa where he was perched on the dragon's back. "Just this once, it'll be okay." Oikawa huffed, but dismounted and walked over to Kyoutani.

"You're in trouble," Oikawa informed the golden dragon.

"I don't really want you on my back, either," Kyoutani replied. "Actually, I'd prefer the stranger."

"Good. Because I don't want to ride you anyway," Oikawa snapped. Then he went back to Iwaizumi and resumed his spot. This time, Kyoutani crouched and allowed Kageyama to get on his back, which the trainee did smoothly.

"Yaku, you first," Suga announced, glancing warily at Kyoutani. Yaku nodded and patted Haiba's neck.

"Let's go," Yaku urged. The gray dragon surged into the air, and Yaku shifted, keeping his balance and gripping the dragon calmly. They circled overhead.

"Akaashi and Hanamaki," Suga called. Akaashi did his best to stay calm and hold on while adjusting to the movement of the dragon, but he nearly fell off as the dragon leaped into the sky. Hanamaki tilted slightly, helping Akaashi regain his balance.

"Thanks," Akaashi said, breathless from the wind and the fact that he could very well fall all the way to the ground if he moved wrong.

"I won't drop you," Hanamaki reassured him, the dragon's words carried back toward him by the wind. "Bokuto, now, he might drop someone."

"Kenma and Hinata," Suga said. The small orange dragon jumped so fast that Kenma almost tumbled backwards off his back. " _Hinata_!"

"Sorry!" the orange dragon called, circling slowly, low over the ground, so Kenma could regain his balance.

"Matsukawa and Kuroo," Suga sighed. Kuroo let out a dark, amused chuckle. "Kuroo, if you- _Kuroo!_ " Suga shouted. Kuroo had _thrown_ himself into his takeoff, at such an angle and speed that the older dragons surged forward, ready to catch Matsukawa if he fell, but the trainee managed to cling to Kuroo's back.

"What the hell?" the trainee shouted.

"I was right! You have flown before!" Kuroo laughed as he rose to circle just below Haiba.

"Hanamaki warned me you might try that," Matsukawa snapped.

"I wouldn't have let you fall," Kuroo said. "I would've caught you."

" _Tetsurou!_ " Hanamaki bellowed, swooping down to fly alongside Kuroo. "Don't you ever do that again!"

"I would've caught him. And if I missed somehow, Asahi was right there, and you know he and his rider are good at catching people," Kuroo replied soothingly. The pink dragon glared.

"Don't. Do. It. Again," he growled.

"Okay, okay," Kuroo replied.

"Tetsurou!" Sawamura was in the air, now, and glaring fiercely at the younger dragon. Kuroo's wingbeats faltered.

"Ah. Sorry?"

"Try anything that reckless again, and you'll be confined to your cave for a week," Sawamura threatened.

"Kyoutani's coming up," Suga said, his voice carrying over the rush of air and the beating of dragon wings. A moment later, the golden dragon was circling with them, snarling and glaring over his shoulder at his rider every few seconds. Kageyama's eyes were narrowed in concentration, and he kept his hands resting lightly on Kyoutani's neck, ready to shift to accomodate any movement the dragon might make. A moment later, Iwaizumi joined them, too. Then Azumane was in the air, too, and Suga called for the dragons to head toward their flock's training grounds, set aside from the main grounds outside the base.

It was a short trip, but it was their first flight as a whole flock.


	3. Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been neglecting this AU and I'm sorry.

When everyone landed at the training grounds, Suga had them dismount.

"Stay in your pairs," the flock leader said. "We're going to work on the dragons' human forms today." The trainees' eyes widened.

"They can't do human form yet?" Kageyama blurted out.

"Well, Azumane, Sawamura, and Iwaizumi can," Suga replied. "But choosing a human form and learning how to shift is something a dragon's first flock teaches them. And for the next year at least, we're a flock. So we're going to help them. They already know how to get started, so riders, your job is to help the dragons refine their forms. Check for any remaining scales or other dragon traits, make sure they remember to form clothes, stuff like that." The trainees eyed their assigned dragons for a moment. "The intermediate pairs, and Sawamura and I, will be going around, helping anyone who needs advice."

"When can we switch partners?" Kyoutani asked. Suga frowned at him.

"Tomorrow. Why? From what I saw, you and Kageyama worked well together," the senior rider said.

"He's creepy. He just adjusts, no matter how hard I try to throw him off," Kyoutani grumbled.

"You what?" Iwaizumi growled. Kyoutani shuffled his wings and took a step back.

"I was joking," the golden dragon muttered. Iwaizumi glared at him.

"It's fine. I stayed on," Kageyama replied quickly.

"It's not fine," Suga snapped. Sawamura stepped up beside Suga, his sleek black dragon form towering over Kyoutani even though they were about the same size, because Kyoutani had started curling in on himself. "Kageyama, you can join one of the other pairs for now." Kageyama hesitated. "I know you were hoping to get to know the dragons one on one, but-"

"I'll work with Kyoutani," Yahaba volunteered. The other trainees eyed him incredulously. Yahaba just shrugged and walked toward Kyoutani. Kageyama glanced at the flock leaders for approval. When Suga sighed and nodded, Kageyama hurried to Bokuto.

"What are you doing?" Kyoutani snarled when Yahaba moved too close to him. Instead of flinching, Yahaba frowned up at the dragon.

"I'm going to help you with your human form. Please don't forget to form clothes," Yahaba replied. Kyoutani snarled again, fangs glinting dangerously in the sunlight, but Yahaba just raised an eyebrow and said, "If you wait much longer, I'm going to start thinking you can't shift to human form at all." The golden dragon debated just trying to bite Yahaba in half, because that would be the end of this pesky, stubborn human. Then Yahaba shrugged and turned away. "I guess I'll just go back and help Kageyama with Bokuto after all, since you can't get close enough to a human shape for me to help you." Kyoutani hissed and lashed his tail.

"Fine!" he growled, shifting to what was almost a human form. Fortunately, he had clothes. Unfortunately, he still had claws, fangs, and a lashing tail, plus a black mask over the upper half of his face, similar to the mask of black scales around his eyes when he was in dragon form. There were several patches of gold scales on his arms, too. 

"Well, it's a start," Yahaba sighed. Kyoutani glared at him and bared his teeth, which was only slightly less intimidating with him in something resembling a human shape. 

By the time Suga and Yaku announced that it was time to head back, all of the dragons had made progress. Kuroo had managed to get his human form mostly right, although there was still one patch of crimson scales on his forehead and around his right eye, though the odd, messy hairstyle he'd chosen covered most of the lingering scales. After being taunted a few more times by Yahaba, Kyoutani had managed to lose the tail and fangs, but the claws and most of the scale patches remained. Bokuto had spent too much time trying to choose a hairstyle, much to Kageyama's frustration, because Bokuto's human form still had dragon wings. Hinata still had the short, curling horns that adorned his dragon form's head sticking out of his hair, and a patch of scales on his cheek. Hanamaki, to everyone's surprise, had a nearly perfect human form, with a single pink scale on the side of his neck that wouldn't go away no matter how many times he tried. Lev, on the other hand, was too excited about the whole flock being together that his body was still littered with patches of scales, his lingering wings and tail kept knocking Yaku over, and the dragon had trouble talking, because a human tongue with dragon fangs wasn't working well for him.

Suga had Kageyama switch back to Kyoutani for the flight home, despite the glare Kyoutani shot at the flock leader. 

The next several weeks were spent switching around the teams, putting every trainee with each unassigned dragon multiple times, until they were all familliar with each other. Then the announcement came, one evening at the end of training, just when the trainees were about to head for their barracks, and the dragons were about to head for their caves.

"I want you all to think and talk among yourselves tonight," Suga announced. "Tomorrow, you're going to be choosing your own partners for the day."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really short but I wanted to cut it off here because there's a lot that's going to happen next, so I'm cutting what would have been a super long chapter off here. The next one might be super long anyway, depending on how things go, but oh well.


	4. Gossip Breeds Doubts

_Kentarou, the others are going to discuss the riders, to figure out who's going to ask for which one tomorrow,_ Iwaizumi's voice in Kyoutani's head warned. Kyoutani snorted and curled up in his own cave, away from the cliff where the other unassigned dragons were gathering. 

 _Kageyama is creepy, Matsukawa is annoying, the Kozume one is too quiet and flinches every time I growl, Yahaba is a jerk, and I'm pretty sure I saw Koutarou nuzzle on Akaashi too much this week for me to go through the trouble of trying to get the one good rider we have on my back,_ Kyoutani snapped.  _So I really don't care who I work with tomorrow. They're all going to pick better dragons than me anyway, so what's the point?_ There was silence for a minute, and Kyoutani thought that maybe he'd driven Iwaizumi away. 

 _One day you're going to realize that there is a rider out there for you, one who won't abandon you. You have to give them a chance, though,_ Iwaizumi told him.  _I know you've had a hard time with riders before, but remember that the flock leaders chose riders they think could be compatible with at least one of the unassigned dragons._ Kyoutani huffed and curled up tighter, until he could rest his chin on top of his tail. 

 _I don't like any of them,_ Kyoutani insisted.  _So I'm not going to go gossip about them with the others._

 _You and Yahaba have been getting along,_ Iwaizumi countered.  _He's volunteered to work with you every time you've tried to bite or claw one of the other riders._ There was disapproval in those words, and Kyoutani knew that he was still in trouble for the time he'd tried to bite Matsukawa's arm off after the trainee poked under his scales on purpose, and all the times he'd tried to throw Kageyama off his back because that trainee clung and adjusted to Kyoutani's movements so easily it felt like there was a parasite clinging to him instead of a rider, and the time he'd snapped at Kenma and almost gotten into a fight with Kuroo over it. Kyoutani sighed. 

 _Yahaba is an asshole. I don't like working with him,_ Kyoutani grumbled.  _I'm going to sleep now._ He heard a faint sigh that might have been Iwaizumi a few caves above him, but he ignored the sound and closed his eyes. Riders were trouble. They always found a better dragon, a nicer dragon, and abandoned him. Kyoutani wasn't even sure why he stayed at the rider base and kept trying with the trainee flocks every year. Honestly, he was surprised he hadn't been politely told to leave the flock again this year. This was the longest he'd stayed with any trainee group, and he'd actually managed to get his human form sorted out this time. If nothing else, that was enough progress so that this year wasn't completely wasted, he decided. 

Meanwhile, on the cliff above Flock One's caves, the other four unassigned dragons were clustered around Daichi, who would guide their discussion and then relay the results to Suga. 

"So, besides Koutarou, does anyone have a preference for riders to fly with tomorrow?" the older dragon asked. 

"What do you mean,  _besides Koutarou_?" Bokuto complained. All of the others stared at him. 

"You literally never shut up about Akaashi," Hanamaki said after a moment. "The reason Daichi asked us to talk out loud instead of using telepathy is because every other thought you have is about how pretty he is or how nice and calm he is, or how he smiled at you today." Bokuto lowered his head sheepishly. "Anyone else want to share an opinion on Akaashi before Daichi tells us to focus? I, for one, find him kind of terrifying. I feel like he's always watching and just _knows_ when I'm about to try to trick him." 

"Akaashi is really nice," Hinata piped up. "He never freaks out when I accidentally go too fast and nearly throw him off." 

"Akaashi's nice to talk to," Kuroo added. "I think he's going to be amazing, especially once he and Koutarou get nice matching marks," he added, tossing a toothy smirk at Bokuto, who yelped and glared at him. Daichi sighed.

"We're going to have a very serious talk about emotions and riders some day soon," Daichi muttered. Then he shook himself and refocused. "All right, back to rider preferences."

"Matsukawa is  _mine_ ," Hanamaki replied immediately. "And I will fight any of you if you try to ask for him."

"We might be having that talk sooner than I wanted to," Daichi grimaced. "All right-"

"Matsukawa is fun to fly with," Kuroo interrupted, watching Hanamaki. "He doesn't even hold a grudge from that one time on the first day when -"

"Moving on," Daichi said hastily, not wanting to have to deal with Hanamaki getting angry at Kuroo for that all over again. 

"Matsukawa's cool, but I have to fly slower with him," Hinata said. "Takahiro glares at me if I go too fast when Matsukawa's on my back." Bokuto nodded in agreement. The last time Matsukawa had flown on Bokuto's back, Bokuto had gotten overly excited and tried to show off, and Matsukawa had ended up with sore hands from gripping the dragon's scales to stay on. 

"So Koutarou wants to fly with Akaashi and Takahiro wants Matsukawa. Anyone else?"

"Let's gossip about Kageyama now!" Hanamaki suggested, ignoring Daichi's attempt to guide their conversation. "I think we can all agree he's scary talented and also kind of just plain scary."

"He's skilled, but he doesn't communicate," Kuroo replied. "He signals for stunts like he's on a stupid horse that will just follow his directions."

"I don't think Kageyama likes me very much," Bokuto added. "I mean, he seemed fine the first few days, but I think he doesn't like it when I get excited." The black and white dragon crouched lower to the ground, resting his chin on his talons morosely. 

"What about you, Hinata?" Hanamaki prompted. "You're always complaining about Kageyama!" The little orange dragon tilted his head.

"Well, yeah. He's grumpy and he's always scowling, but he's an amazing rider. I can go as fast as I want, and I don't have to worry about him falling off. Plus, he signals all the time. Doesn't that count as communicating?" Hinata asked. For a moment, the other dragons just kind of stared at him.

"Signaling isn't really communicating, especially not the way Kageyama does it," Hanamaki objected.

"I don't know what you mean," Hinata said, tail twitching in confusion. 

"I vote we put the angry rider with the ball of sunshine," Kuroo said. "Hinata seems to like him."

"What? I don't!" Hinata protested. "He's just a really good rider. I guess I would like to fly with him more, though," he admitted.

"So, who's next? Kenma?" Hanamaki suggested. "He's too quiet for my taste."

"That's because you like tasting Matsukawa. Don't think I didn't see you nuzzling his hair last week," Kuroo taunted. Hanamaki growled and turned away from Kuroo with a grumble.

"Kenma's really nice! He listens really well, and always warns me when I'm going too fast or about to run into something," Hinata exclaimed. 

"He always looks really tired. I'm always afraid to do stunts in case he's fallen asleep," Bokuto murmured. 

"Kenma's really smart. I want to fly with him tomorrow," Kuroo decided. "And he doesn't get too tired if you nag him a little while you're flying." 

"So it's settled. I get Matsukawa, Bokuto gets Akaashi, Kuroo gets Kenma, and Hinata gets Kageyama," Hanamaki announced. "Which leaves Kyoutani with Yahaba."

"What, you guys aren't going to gossip about Yahaba like the others?" Daichi sounds surprised and maybe a little relieved. The dragons hesitated, glancing at each other warily.

"Well...the thing is, it's  _Yahaba_ ," Kuroo explained. "He's...calm and serious, but he tries to be nice and polite, and I can't figure him out. One minute he's yelling at Kyoutani, and the next he's having a perfectly normal conversation with the other trainees."

"Yahaba's either too nice or too stubborn," Bokuto agreed. 

"He's not as good at staying on when I go fast as Kageyama," Hinata put in. "I dropped him twice already." 

"That's your fault, not his," Hanamaki replied. "Yahaba's actually a really good rider. He just spends too much time riding Kyoutani to get the hang of riding a dragon who will actually listen to him without a fight." 

"But he keeps ending up with Kyoutani, so he can't get used to varying his riding style to match other dragons," Daichi sighed. "I'll have to talk to the flock leaders. That's all I needed, thanks. You should all go to sleep soon." The dragons grumbled, but Daichi glared at them. "I am not afraid to call Iwaizumi away from whatever he and Oikawa are up to if you need an incentive to go back to your caves." The younger dragons scattered. Only once had they made the mistake of misbehaving and forcing Daichi to resort to calling Iwaizumi to handle them - because while Daichi was terrifying in his own right, he firmly believed that a dragon whose rider was the flock leader shouldn't beat up the younger dragons, so that task fell to Iwaizumi - and never again would they do anything that would make Iwaizumi have to come and growl at them in the middle of his time alone with his rider. 

If any of them had stayed behind another minute, they might have noticed the very small, very shaky breath that Yahaba took as he slumped against the wall of the tunnel leading out onto the cliff the dragons had been using for their discussion. He wasn't sure why he'd thought going up to the cliffs to avoid the other riders was a good idea, but somehow that was where he'd ended up, just in time to overhear the dragons talking about the trainees. 

Yahaba hadn't wanted to listen to his fellow trainees discuss the dragons, because he already knew what most of them would say. Akaashi found Bokuto exasperating but endearing, and didn't mind the dragon's mood fluctuations much, since he seemed to be able to even them out more easily than everyone else. Kenma found Kuroo intriguing, and enjoyed the way the red dragon seemed to be able to balance letting Kenma relax with dragging him to enjoy the company of the other flock members. Kageyama was most impressed with Bokuto's strength, but Yahaba was pretty sure Kageyama was beginning to realize that he was a perfect match for Hinata's innate speed and agility. Matsukawa was definitely planning on being Hanamaki's rider, and anyone who dared ask to ride the pink dragon was probably going to end up on the recieving end of some sort of revenge prank, so those two were settled. That left Yahaba with Kyoutani, which was a trend that was becoming rather common lately.

Yahaba knew he wasn't as skilled as the other riders. He couldn't instantly adjust to whichever dragon he was working with like Kageyama could, and he didn't have the same calming effect on the dragons that Kenma and Akaashi had. He also didn't have Matsukawa's relationship with Hanamaki - whatever that relationship was - to make him stand out as a rider. Yahaba was just...average, at least in his own mind. Yahaba was sure that he was the least skilled, least experienced, and least qualified rider, which wasn't just frustrating because of his own insecurities. 

It was frustrating because none of his fellow trainees seemed to notice how strong and smart Kyoutani was. Kyoutani hadn't dropped anyone by accident at all. He'd tried to drop people on purpose, but he had excellent control of his wings and tail, and that translated into a raw, powerful flight that had left Yahaba breathless the first time Kyoutani had forgotten to be mad at him and just flown without trying to argue or throw him off. After all the training their flock had done, Yahaba was convinced that with a good rider - someone with at least Akaashi's skill level - Kyoutani could beat any dragon. Instead of an amazing rider who could bring out his potential, someone Kyoutani wouldn't feel the need to growl and snap at all the time, however, Kyoutani just got Yahaba. 

Yahaba bit his lip. Even the other unassigned dragons could tell that Yahaba was the weakest link, the worst rider in the trainee group. All of the dragons were amazing in their own ways, even Kyoutani. Especially Kyoutani. 

 _Which just means that none of them deserve to have to fly with a mediocre rider like me,_ Yahaba thought grimly. He knew he was probably exaggerating, but similar thoughts had been occurring to him more and more as the weeks of training passed. He sighed and made his way down through the tunnels until he reached the area where the riders of Flock One usually gathered to eat. To his relief, no one was there, so Yahaba sat at the table, dropping his forehead to his folded arms and sighing. 

"Yahaba? What are you doing here so late?" Yahaba jumped and looked up. Nishinoya stood in the entrance that led toward the intermediate pairs' quarters.

"Just thinking," Yahaba answered. "What about you?" Nishinoya shrugged.

"Nothing. I was just hungry, so I thought I'd sneak a midnight snack while Asahi's asleep," he answered with a yawn. Yahaba was caught off guard for a moment, but then remembered that Asahi was Nishinoya's dragon, Azumane. Yahaba wondered if he would ever be a good enough rider for a dragon to like and trust him enough to give him permission to use their given name. Something in Yahaba's expression must have hinted at his thoughts, or maybe Nishinoya was just that good at reading people, because the intermediate rider tilted his head, suddenly looking more awake. "What were you thinking about?" Yahaba hesitated, then shrugged and decided that maybe for once he should tell someone what was running through his head.

"I'm not a very good rider," Yahaba said plainly. "I don't think any dragon would want to fly with me, and they shouldn't have to, not with riders like Kageyama and Akaashi and the others available." Nishinoya stared at him for a moment, then sat across from him. 

"You are a good rider. You might not be some sort of genius or whatever Kageyama is supposed to be, but you are good. Oikawa and I were worried we'd have to fight Shirabu and Semi for you. They're the intermediate riders for Flock Two," Nishinoya explained. "I think Oikawa was looking forward to trying to crush Shirabu's dragon." Yahaba stared at him, confused. "Shirabu's dragon, Ushijima, wanted Oikawa for his rider back when we were all in training. But that's beside the point. The point is, you might not have the overwhelming, inborn talent Kageyama has, but you work hard, and it pays off. Whether you pair up permanently with one of the dragons in this trainee flock or not, you are a good rider." Yahaba wanted to believe him, he really did, but when he looked at the gap between himself and the other trainees and found it widening every day, he couldn't really bring himself to think that Nishinoya might be right. 

"Thanks," Yahaba sighed. "But honestly...the other four have paired off rather neatly, and Kyoutani hates me, so I...I think I should just quit." Yahaba blinked, surprised by his own words, because he hadn't actually let himself think the word 'quit', let alone say it out loud before. But now that he had... Nishinoya was staring at him, and Yahaba could only shrug and look away. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be bothering you with this," he muttered. Nishinoya frowned, then seemed to reach a decision.

"You should talk to Oikawa about this," Nishinoya said seriously. "And if he can't help you, then maybe Suga can. But don't make any decisions until you've at least talked to Oikawa, okay?" Yahaba nodded, surprised by how calm and intense the short rider's gaze was. "Good. Now I'm going to get my snack and then go back to Asahi. You should get some sleep. And when you talk to Oikawa, make sure he's not, uh, occupied first." Yahaba nodded fervently. He didn't want to walk in on the intermediate pair. He was pretty sure he would die on the spot; he'd heard a rumor that Iwaizumi could breathe fire even in human form, and Yahaba didn't want to test that rumor. 


	5. Flock Reunion

Yahaba didn't get a chance to talk to Oikawa the next morning, because Oikawa and Iwaizumi were the last flock members to arrive, and as soon as the green dragon landed, Suga announced that they would be using saddles that day, then asked the dragons to decide who would pick their rider for the day first. Bokuto bounded forward before any of the others could talk and nudged Akaashi's shoulder excitedly with his muzzle. 

"All right, Bokuto," Akaashi agreed calmly, reaching up to pat the scales on Bokuto's forehead. The dragon stilled at the touch and closed his eyes happily. Akaashi smiled and added, "Let's go off to the side and get a saddle on you, okay?" Bokuto agreed happily, and Hanamaki stepped forward.

"Matsukawa," the pink dragon said. Matsukawa grinned and walked over to pat the dragon's shoulder as Kuroo stepped around Hanamaki and approached Kenma. The red dragon lowered his head so he could look Kenma in the eye. 

"Will you fly with me today?" Kuroo asked. Kenma nodded, then turned toward the saddles, Kuroo following him. Kageyama and Yahaba exchanged glances, Kageyama apparently confused and Yahaba resigned, as Hinata darted toward Kageyama. The little orange dragon flapped his wings excitedly. 

"Come on, Kageyama! I want to see how fast we can do some of the stunts," Hinata exclaimed. Kageyama blinked slowly, but allowed himself to be nudged along toward the saddles by Hinata. Yahaba glanced at Kyoutani, who refused to meet his gaze, and shrugged before going to fetch the saddle he usually used when flying with the golden dragon. Everyone was ready to leave for the day's training when Daichi suddenly tensed. 

"Wait," he ordered. Before anyone could ask what was wrong, a small black dragon came swooping down out of the sky and landed almost clumsily beside Daichi. A pale yellow swirl decorated his chest, and there was a mask of silver scales around his eyes. The man on the black dragon's back pushed his blond hair out of his eyes and twisted in the saddle to face Suga and Yaku.

"Commander Ukai? What brings you here?" Suga asked politely. Yahaba and the other trainees exchanged worried looks. They recognized Ukai, one of the top riders in the base, and his dragon, Takeda. 

"There's a rogue dragon in the area," Ukai announced. "Flock Two headed out first thing this morning, and the pair at the back of their formation was picked off by the rogue. The dragon, Kunimi, was severely injured, and Trainee Kindaichi was knocked unconscious and hasn't woken up. The rogue fled the scene when the rest of the flock doubled back to protect them, so it might try to attack the next group it sees." Bokuto growled and shifted his wings, lifting and half spreading them as if to shield Akaashi, who was perched on his back, from view. 

"Are we confined to the base until the rogue is dealt with?" Suga asked. 

"No. We can't confine everyone to the base, and if you can get safely to your training grounds, you should be far enough from where the incident happened that you'll be all right while the Command Flock hunts the rogue," Takeda said, glancing over his shoulder to look to Ukai for confirmation. The rider nodded. 

"You might want to alter your formation, though, and put your intermediate riders toward the back to keep an eye on your surroundings," Ukai suggested. 

"Oikawa, Noya, hang back and to the sides. Commander, do you have a description of the rogue dragon?" Suga asked. 

"Just that it's a dark color," Ukai replied. "The dragon was pretty shaken."

"We'll be careful," Yaku promised. "We should get going. The sooner we're out of the way and the Command Flock can handle the rogue, the better."

"Everyone up in the air," Suga ordered. In seconds, the whole flock was circling the base, then angling toward their training grounds. Kyoutani was silent as he flew, not even growling at Yahaba when he urged the dragon to shift his position in the formation, evening out the spacing. Instead, Kyoutani just moved where Yahaba guided him, not protesting like usual. They were halfway there when a golden dragon several shades darker than Kyoutani swooped down hovered in front of them. Sawamura flared his wings and hovered in place. The others spread out, watching the strange dragon warily. 

"Are you the rogue we were warned about?" Bokuto snarled. 

"Who, me?" the stranger laughed. "Nah, that's not me. He's actually a pretty interesting guy, though." There was a pause, and then Iwaizumi shouted a warning, whirling to face a second unknown dragon, this one with chocolate brown scales, that came hurtling towards them. "And that's my cue!" The dark gold dragon surged forward, slipped between Sawamura and Haiba, and slammed into Kyoutani, who snarled and lashed out with his claws, only for the brown dragon to slip between Azumane and Iwaizumi, lashing his tail as he passed, trying to knock Oikawa and Nishinoya off of their dragons. Iwaizumi snarled and lunged forward, flames sparking around his fangs, but the brown dragon slammed into Hinata, sending the much smaller dragon tumbling down. Azumane dove, ready to steady the smaller dragon and catch Kageyama if he fell. The two strange dragons exchanged glances, then whirled and shot off in different directions. 

"Don't follow them!" Suga ordered. Iwaizumi growled, but didn't follow. Kyoutani, on the other hand, snarled and flew after the darker gold dragon. 

"Kyoutani!" Yaku shouted. 

 _"Kentarou, get back here!"_ Iwaizumi roared. 

"Kyoutani!" Yahaba hissed. Kyoutani flew faster, leaving the flock behind as he pursued the darker dragon, all of the energy he normally used fighting Yahaba's cues channeled into his flight. 

"That moron slammed into me on purpose," Kyoutani growled, flapping his wings faster. "I'm going to make him pay." 

"You're going to get us in trouble - and possibly killed!" Yahaba snapped. 

"Look, there  _is_ such a thing as a smart human," the brown dragon sneered, dropping down almost directly on Kyoutani's back. Claws caught Kyoutani's wings, tore at them. Kyoutani roared and fell, twisting his neck to try to snap at the brown dragon. Yahaba clung to Kyoutani's back, pressing as close to his scales as he could, presenting as small of a target as possible. The brown dragon released Kyoutani, who plunged to the ground and barely managed to land heavily on his feet, trying not to roll with the impact, which would crush Yahaba. The two rogue dragons landed beside him.

"Hold still and let us get that nasty rider off of your back, okay?" the dark gold dragon said, moving forward. Kyoutani snarled and flared his torn wings, shuffling back on three legs, having apparently injured one of his forelegs in the fall. 

"Yahaba, get off," Kyoutani snapped. "I can't fight with you on my back." Yahaba hesitated, then slid from the saddle, making sure to dismount on the side of Kyoutani's uninjured foreleg. Instead of moving out of the way, however, he rested a hand on the dragon's scales and frowned at the two strangers. 

"You're not in any shape to fight," Yahaba said quietly. Kyoutani snorted and curled his tail around the trainee, pushing him backwards, away from the strangers. 

"I'm still a dragon, damn it."

"You're hurt. Even a mediocre rider like me wouldn't let an injured dragon fight," Yahaba snapped, shoving at Kyoutani's tail. 

"A mediocre rider? They didn't give you the best?" The darker gold dragon sounded downright offended.

"And they didn't even teach him how to fight properly. This is why riders are useless," the brown one added. Then he tilted his head. "You chased after us, but you don't even remember us at all, do you?" Kyoutani glared at them and tried to shift Yahaba behind him again, but the rider refused to budge. 

"Why would I remember you?" Kyoutani snapped. 

"Because the three of us shared a nest when we were hatchlings," the darker gold one answered. "The three of us are the last surviving members of the Evening Tides Flock of wild dragons." Yahaba and Kyoutani stopped their silent push and pull over Kyoutani trying to push Yahaba to a safer place and Yahaba refusing to move to stare at each other in surprise. 

"Wait. You just flew into a flock of dragons, shoved into Kyoutani, then clawed up his wings and made him crash because you're long lost friends from when you three were hatchlings?" Yahaba demanded. "That's a really stupid plan." There was a moment of silence, and then the darker gold one turned to the brown one.

"You know, when he puts it like that..."

"Shut up, Yuuji," the brown one growled.

"No, seriously, Suguru, why did we pick this plan?" the dark gold one, apparently Yuuji, asked.

"Because you wanted to have some smooth line about not being the rogue who knocked the sleepy dragon out of the sky," the brown one snapped. 

"If you two are just going to argue all day, can we go now?" Yahaba broke in. "Kyoutani's wings are in bad shape, and I don't want him dying on me, so..."

"He'll be fine. We just have to get rid of you and that saddle, and then Kentarou can come home with us, where he belongs," the brown one, Suguru, replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would anyone be interested in some oneshots or a short multichapter of what Trainee Flock Two is up to?


	6. Pair Resolution

"No one is getting rid of my rider," Kyoutani snapped, extending his injured wing to block Yahaba from view. He hissed as the movement tugged at the torn edges of his wounds, but resolutely kept his wing outstretched. For a long moment, the two dragons were silent as they watched Kyoutani. 

"Your rider, huh?" Yuuji repeated. "You wouldn't say that if you remembered what the dragon riders did to our flock." 

"Whatever it was, I'm sure it was horrible, but that has nothing to do with Yahaba," Kyoutani replied. "I know dragon riders can be horrible. Every one I've ever tried to work with has abandoned me. Even Yahaba here is thinking about quitting." Yahaba froze, staring at the injured wing blocking him from the other dragons' view. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to let him get hurt." 

"Wait, you're mediocre, you managed to get a dragon like Kentarou, and then you're planning to just leave him?" Yuuji demanded. "What the hell, man?" Yahaba peered around Kyoutani's wing to glare at them.

"It's  _because_ I'm mediocre and managed to get a dragon like Kyoutani," he snapped. "I'm not good enough; he deserves the best. So why don't you two fly away and let me get him back to the dragon rider base, because while I might not be the kind of rider he deserves, at least I didn't shred his wings." Suguru flinched, and Yahaba found a vindictive pleasure in that. 

"Kentarou!" Iwaizumi dropped out of the sky and landed between Kyoutani and the other two dragons. Oikawa glanced back at Kyoutani and Yahaba, noted that they were alive and didn't seem to have life-threatening injuries, then turned back to glare at the two dragons. "Which one of you hurt him?" Iwaizumi snarled. Yuuji and Suguru glanced at each other. 

"The brown one," Yahaba called. He had no mercy for people who attacked others out of the blue, especially for some stupid stunt to try to reunite with an old friend who didn't even remember them. Iwaizumi turned and advanced on the brown dragon, who was smaller than Iwaizumi, as it turned out. 

"You two have caused enough damage for today," Iwaizumi snarled, fangs bared. 

"We're not scared of you," Yuuji piped up. "You've been tamed by the humans; I bet the one on your back-" Whatever he thought about Oikawa, he didn't finish the sentence, because Iwaizumi  _roared_ and a stream of white-hot flames poured from his jaws. Yuuji and Suguru scrambled backwards. 

"I am going to roast you for even  _mentioning_ my rider, and then I am going to pry your burnt scales from your cooked corpses and use them to decorate my cave for attacking my flock," Iwaizumi snarled. For a long moment, no one moved. Then Oikawa grinned and patted Iwaizumi's scales happily. The motion seemed to snap Suguru and Yuuji out of their fear-induced paralysis, and they continued their previous retreat, scrambling away and then jumping into the sky. Iwaizumi watched them fly away, then turned to Kyoutani and Yahaba. "Now, Kentarou," he began, in a tone that was only slightly less threatening than the one he's used on the two rogues. "What the hell possessed you to go off after them alone? You could have been killed -  _both_ of you could have been killed!" he added, glancing at Yahaba. 

"Well, Yahaba's planning on quitting anyway, so-"

"Just because I think you should have a more skilled rider doesn't mean that you can write me off and get me killed!" Yahaba interrupted, glaring at Kyoutani. 

"You're the one who wouldn't go back to safety when I was trying to protect you!" Kyoutani snapped. Yahaba's glare intensified.

"Besides the damage to your wings, you hurt your leg when you fell, and don't think I didn't realize that you landed the way you did so you wouldn't roll and crush me," Yahaba retorted. "I wasn't about to let you get into a fight with those two because you decided to protect me!" 

"Can I interrupt for a second?" Oikawa asked.

"No!" Yahaba and Kyoutani snapped in unison. 

"You keep acting like I shouldn't protect you, but you're  _my rider_ ," Kyoutani growled. "I'm supposed to protect you!"

"I'm just the leftovers. You'll get a real, permanent rider eventually, so you shouldn't hurt yourself over someone like me!" Yahaba replied. 

"Quit talking like you suck as a rider!" Kyoutani shouted. 

"I'm nowhere near as good as the others, and besides, you fight every signal I give you. Of course I suck as a rider!" Yahaba snapped, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation.

"I fight your signals because when you give them again, or change the signal, it tells me you're actually paying attention!" Kyoutani exclaimed. 

"Kentarou! Yahaba!" Iwaizumi broke in. "If you two would be quiet for a second and actually listen to what the other person is saying, you might be able to stop fighting long enough to realize that you two are both idiots." Yahaba and Kyoutani blinked at each other, then at Iwaizumi. "Seriously. Kentarou, I know you're angry and hurt because you think Yahaba wants to ditch you, but did you take the time to think about his reason? He thinks you're so amazing that he feels like he doesn't deserve to fly with you. And Yahaba, if you'd think about what Kentarou's said about his past riders, you'd realize that he doesn't want a genius like Kageyama or a quiet, analytical rider like Akaashi or Kenma. He just wants someone who's willing to work with him and won't abandon him." There was a long, stunned silence. "Now, Kentarou, switch to human form so I can carry everyone back to the base. And you two, think on the way back, okay?" They obeyed in utter silence, Kyoutani wincing as he shifted to his human form, which apparently retained the injuries of his dragon form, because his blood started seeping through the shirt he formed, and one of his arms hung at an awkward angle. Yahaba silently helped him onto Iwaizumi's back, and luckily the green dragon was large enough to carry all three of them. 

When they got back to the riders' base, Kyoutani was rushed away almost immediately for medical attention. Just before he was whisked off, though, Yahaba stepped forward.

"You really don't care that I'm not good enough?" Yahaba asked quietly. Kyoutani scowled at him. 

"I think you're plenty good enough. If you don't agree, we'll just have to fly more so you can improve," he replied. "Unless you're planning to quit." Yahaba didn't know how to answer that, so he watched as Kyoutani was escorted to the infirmary. 

"For what it's worth, I think you're an excellent rider," Oikawa said quietly. Iwaizumi shifted to his human form and nodded his agreement. 

"But..."

"No buts, Yahaba," Oikawa interrupted. "Are you really going to go against a dragon's choice for his rider?"

"But Kyoutani hasn't..."

"This is the longest he's ever had one rider willing to work with him," Iwaizumi said quietly. "And you're the first one to want to leave him because you think he's too good. I know it's not my place to say anything, but please don't make him lose the one human who sees potential in him and isn't already assigned to a different dragon." Yahaba didn't know how to respond, so he just glanced in the direction Kyoutani had gone. It wasn't that he  _wanted_ to leave. He just didn't think it was right to stay and keep Kyoutani from having a chance to find a better rider. On the other hand...if what Kyoutani wanted was for Yahaba to stay...

"At least don't make any decisions without talking to him. If you quit, it will affect both of you, so it's not fair to just leave without saying anything," Oikawa said. This time, Yahaba knew exactly what to say.

"I'm not leaving," he said softly. "Nishinoya told me to talk to you before I quit, and now I see why." Oikawa and Iwaizumi exchanged puzzled looks, but Yahaba just smiled. "How soon can I see Kyoutani?"


	7. We Need to Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay first of all, yes the chapter title is a Steven Universe reference.

Kyoutani was curled up in his cave, his wings laying awkwardly on his back because of the bandages that would have to stay on for another week at least, and his injured leg trapped in a sling because he kept moving it when he wasn't supposed to. He'd been laying there for hours after the healers had tended his wounds, and he was bored out of his mind. 

"There you are. Sorry I made you wait so long," Yahaba announced. Kyoutani lifted his head and saw the trainee standing at the tunnel entrance to the cave, carrying a blanket and several books. 

"What are you doing here?" Kyotuani grumbled. Yahaba just grinned and clambered up onto his ledge. 

"I brought some books I thought you might like," he answered, laying the blanket on the rock beside Kyoutani and settling on it. "I talked to the healers, and since you're not supposed to move much for a while, I figured you'd be pretty bored." Kyoutani blinked at him, and Yahaba just leaned back against his warm scales. "If you're not interested in any of the books, we can always just talk, too," he added. 

"Why?" Kyoutani demanded, eyeing him suspiciously. 

"You said you thought I was good enough," Yahaba replied quietly. "If we're going to do this, then we're going to do it right. So I'll keep you company." Kyoutani continued staring at him for a moment, then sighed and lowered his head, resting his chin on the ground beside Yahaba's outstretched legs. 

"Well, at least I won't be the only one stuck here," Kyoutani grumbled. Yahaba grinned and patted him quickly on the snout. 

"That's the spirit," he said cheerfully. 

* * *

"Bokuto, are you feeling all right?" Akaashi asked, frowning at the black and white dragon as he slid off his back. After the rogue dragons' interruption of their journey to the training grounds, Sugawara had ordered the whole flock back to the base. On the way back, though, Akaashi had noticed that Bokuto's scales were warmer than usual. 

"Fine," Bokuto answered shortly. Akaashi's frown deepened. Bokuto wasn't often grumpy, and usually a few words from Akaashi could pull him out of a bad mood. Kuroo, who had been twisted around to talk to Kenma, who was still perched on his back, paused and glanced worriedly at Bokuto. 

"Bokuto..." Akaashi said, reaching up to rest a hand on his shoulder. Bokuto's scales flared with heat, and Akaashi flinched, jerking his hand away. Bokuto tensed, and Kenma frowned worriedly. 

"Keiji?" Kenma asked.

"Bokuto, you're burning up. Are you okay?" Akaashi asked. Sugawara and Sawamura, who were nearby, exchanged meaningful glances. 

"Don't worry about it," Bokuto grumbled, shifting away from Akaashi. 

"Bokuto," Sawamura called. "Let's talk." Bokuto glanced nervously at the larger dragon. 

"I'm fine," he insisted. Sawamura studied him. 

"You know everyone is safe, right?" Sawamura said. "He's not in danger -" Sawamura's words were cut off by a stream of sparks that erupted from Bokuto's jaws. Akaashi let out a yelp and scrambled backwards. All of the dragons in the area tensed, and a few sparks appeared around Asahi's teeth as well. Kuroo's tail lashed, and Kenma blinked as the dragon he was still sitting on suddenly heated up. "Okay, all dragons, with me. We're going to Kyoutani's cave since he can't move much right now, and we're going to have a chat."

"Send Yahaba to the trainee barracks," Sugawara replied. "We riders are going to have a discussion, too." Everyone exchanged nervous glances, but didn't dare argue. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, this chapter was super short, but next chapter will be fun! Those of you who've read Fidelity and Tandem can probably guess what this talk is going to be about.


	8. No One Likes The Talk

Yahaba and Kyoutani were in the middle of a debate on just how long Hanamaki and Matsukawa had to have known each other to get the almost eerie coordination the two had when it came to things like jointly teasing people when Sawamura landed at the mouth of the cave and shifted to human form as he moved out of the way. Azumane, Iwaizumi, Haiba, Hinata, Hanamaki, Kuroo, and Bokuto followed, all shifting to human form so there was enough room for all of them in the cave. Yahaba and Kyoutani exchanged confused glances. 

"Can we help you?" Yahaba asked politely without moving from where he was leaning against Kyoutani's side, which had only gotten warmer and more comfortable the longer Yahaba leaned against him. 

"The Flock Leaders are having a meeting in the trainee barracks," Sawamura answered. "You should go join them." Yahaba blinked. 

"Is that an order?" he asked. Sawamura nodded, so Yahaba gathered his books and the blanket he'd been sitting on. "I'll be back when I can, okay?" Yahaba said, giving Kyoutani's shoulder a pat. The dragon huffed as though this was an inconvenience, but instead of being hurt or frustrated, Yahaba glanced at the other dragons in their human forms by the cave entrance and smiled before turning and heading into the tunnels. 

* * *

Yahaba reached the trainees' barracks and found all of the riders of Flock One waiting for him. Akaashi was paler than usual, and Kenma was sitting closer to him than Yahaba had ever seen. 

"What's going on?" Yahaba asked. 

"We're going to talk about dragons and firebreathing," Sugawara announced. Oikawa smirked. Nishinoya grinned. Yaku sighed. Matsukawa, surprisingly, just shrugged. 

"Bokuto and Kuroo didn't take the rogue dragons' attack well," Yaku explained. "Both were heating up and Bokuto actually let out a few sparks." 

"I thought most dragons couldn't breathe fire," Kageyama spoke up. "Isn't it almost impossible to get two fire-breathers in the same flock?"

"Iwaizumi breathes fire," Yahaba said. 

"But Iwaizumi's special," Kageyama countered. 

"Not really," Sugawara broke in. Oikawa bristled, and Sugawara laughed. "Okay, yes, Oikawa, your dragon is very special. But it's not his ability to breathe fire. Any dragon can do it. Certain conditions just have to be met."

"Specifically, dragons can only breathe fire when it's to protect or claim the person they see as their mate," Oikawa explained. There was a beat of silence. 

"Mate?" Kageyama screeched. 

"So you're saying Bokuto was spitting sparks because he has a crush on someone?" Akaashi said. 

"Not just someone," Nishinoya replied. There was a long moment of silence.

"Me?" Akaashi whispered, paling. 

"It's pretty obvious, even without the fire thing," Yaku informed him, watching the trainee carefully. "You don't seem pleased." Akaashi looked away. 

"He doesn't like fire," Kenma explained softly. 

"I see," Suga mused. "Akaashi, would you stay back and talk to me after this? Before you all go talk to your individual dragons, there are some things you should know..."

"In addition to only breathing fire to protect their mate, dragons can heat up, triggering more of their scent to release than usual. This smell, called fire-scent, is a message to other dragons to say that this person is taken," Yaku informed them. 

"If a dragon likes you enough to use fire-scent to claim you and fire breathing to protect you, they'll get very jealous and possessive," Oikawa added, a slight smirk on his lips. "Your dragons might get warmer and snarl a lot if you're around other dragons enough that you start to smell like another dragon. They also might snatch you up and carry you off for some quality alone time." Oikawa's smirk grew as the trainees blushed furiously. 

"Of course, no matter what, if your dragon acts in a way you don't like, say something. If they do something you like, tell them. If you don't mind clinginess, fine. If you don't want your dragon handing on you like a living campfire, tell them," Suga added, frowning at Oikawa. 

"And while we're on the subject of clingy dragons, let's talk about what to do and what not to do," Yaku added before Oikawa could say anything. 

"If you accept a dragon's feelings, don't tease them about being with another dragon or get on another dragon's back or anything unless you're sure your dragon is okay with it," Nishinoya said. "If you accept them and start a relationship, they won't let any other human fly with them unless it's an emergency, so you should return the favor. Dragons can be surprisingly insecure about their mates, especially if you don't have a mating bond yet."

"Mating bond?" Kageyama squeaked. Oikawa smirked and pulled off his shirt before Sugawara could stop him. A green swirling mark, almost like a tattoo, rested on Oikawa's chest above his heart. 

"There's a ritual involving fire and a lot of trust, but this is how dragons become official mates. It's kind of like being married," Oikawa explained. "You've all seen Iwa-chan's mark, and Daichi's. Dragons usually get a mark that corresponds to some aspect of their rider - hair, eyes, skin, anything - but it can also just be a color that stands out against their scales. The human in the couple usually gets a mark the same color as the dragon's scales." The trainees stared at the mark on Oikawa's chest for a second, then turned as one to look at Sugawara and Nishinoya.

"My dragon and I haven't done the mating ritual yet," Nishinoya said, shrugging. "He's kind of nervous about it."

"Azumane is nervous about everything," Suga sighed. "And no, I'm not going to take my shirt off so you can see my mating mark." Oikawa pouted, but Suga ignored him. "Now, about physical relationships with dragons..."

* * *

Kyoutani watched Yahaba leave, then turned to Sawamura and narrowed his eyes. 

"What the hell are you all doing here?" Kyoutani growled, not bothering to communicate telepathically. 

"We need to have a talk about fire breathing," Sawamura announced. Kyoutani tried to get up and leave. "Stay where you are; you're hurt," Sawamura admonished. Kyoutani ignored him. 

"Kentarou," Iwaizumi sighed. Kyoutani grumbled and settled back down. 

"Do we really have to talk about this?" Haiba complained. 

"Who here has been having temperature fluctuations or sparking around the rider they've chosen to fly with?" Sawamura asked. Bokuto and Kuroo reluctantly raised their hands. Hinata and Lev raised theirs a moment later. Hanamaki smirked and raised his as well. Kyoutani twitched his tail-tip. "That's what I thought. Keep your hands up if you've actually talked to your rider about this." Suddenly, Hanamaki was the only one with his hand up, and Kyoutani's tail curled around him defensively. "Really, Takahiro?"

"I talked to Matsukawa about it," Hanamaki replied. "He knows, and I asked him to be my permanent rider once we pass our final test. He agreed, and he knows about the fire stuff." 

"Okay, so there's at least one dragon who can talk to their rider about their feelings without making it a whole ordeal," Sawamura sighed, relieved. 

"Oh, no, it was definitely an ordeal," Hanamaki replied solemnly. "It was lovely, though. There was poetry about feelings, and I cried a little. Matsukawa got kind of teary-eyed, too. It was very dramatic and romantic." 

"Moving on," Sawamura grumbled. "All of you are going to have to talk to your riders. Suga should be explaining the basics of fire and mates to them right now, so please don't be caught off guard if they ask you questions. Just answer as best you can, and come to me if they think of something you can't answer. Also, please remember that while I can't guarantee your riders will return your feelings, I can tell you that these are very talented and dedicated humans, and they are unlikely to abandon you because of those feelings."

"Now, before any of you go talking to the trainees - or Yaku, in your case, Lev - there's something else we need to discuss," Iwaizumi announced, crossing his arms. "The do's and don't's of mating with humans." Horror, dread, terror, and a visible desire for the sweet release of death played across the faces of every single dragon's human form, and Kyoutani shrank away from Iwaizumi, a similar spectrum of emotion noticeable in his posture. "When you have a human for a mate, communication is even more important than if you had another dragon. Humans aren't good with telepathy. They can't do it at all unless they have a full mating bond, marks and all, with a dragon, and even once the bond is in place, it takes a while for them to get used to it. So you have to talk to them. You already communicate through signals when flying, but you need to learn to talk to your riders more, about things like what you're feeling and thinking." Kyoutani glared at the ground. He'd finally gotten Yahaba to talk to him in the first place and now Iwaizumi was telling him he needed to talk to Yahaba more? What did he want from them?

"Using fire-scent to claim the humans is fine, but  _only_ if the human agrees first, and  _only_ when you're  _not training,_ " Sawamura growled. "There will be no scenting during training, and there will be no scenting without permission from the human. Suga will be explaining to them what the scent means, so they will be fully aware of what you're asking." Kuroo shuffled his feet, and Bokuto nodded seriously.

"Physical affection in public is allowed, but if it interferes with your training or makes your rider uncomfortable, don't do it," Iwaizumi added. 

"You can go through the mating bond ritual, and you may have noticed that Hajime and I have done so with our riders, but Asahi hasn't. Whatever you and your rider decide is fine. But please wait until you pass the final test and become an official pair," Sawamura put in. There was a moment of silence as Iwaizumi and Sawamura eyed each other. After a moment, Iwaizumi grimaced and cleared his throat. 

"As for any actual sex that happens between you and your rider..." he began. Kyoutani tried to melt into the rock. Hinata tried to run, but Hanamaki caught his arm and hauled him back. Bokuto and Kuroo were frozen in place. Haiba flushed crimson. "That's between the two of you. Do not relive the graphic details during flock exercises, especially if we're communicating telepathically during or between maneuvers. We don't want to know. Do not leave any marks unless you have permission to do so. While you're still in training, if either you or your rider is uncomfortable walking or sitting, just...no. We don't want to know, and if you have to miss training because one of you is sore, you're going to be in trouble. It's less than a year. You've waited this long to meet someone you can love enough to breathe fire to protect. Don't mess up your training by missing too many days because of a lack of self control." All of the younger dragons who were in human form were bright red, and Kyoutani was hiding his face with his tail. 

"All right, I think that's it," Sawamura announced. "You're free to go." The younger dragons, except for Kyoutani, fled.


	9. From the Ashes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know it's been FOREVER since I've updated this AU, and it's absolutely Bokuto's fault. I haven't been able to write him all summer. My dear pocket-sized Oikawa has been waiting for an update, though, and I finally figured out how to make Bokuto do what I wanted (largely because of Fruitless by novocaine_sea, which you should all read), so here you go.

Akaashi knew he should stay behind like he was told, knew he should tell Sugawara and Yaku why he was afraid of fire, but he slipped out before they could stop him anyway. If he stopped to talk to them, then by the time he explained and got through their pitying looks and attempts to comfort him and convince him to give Bokuto a chance despite his fear, Bokuto would have found them, and would want to talk to Akaashi, and Akaashi did  _not_ want to see the  _fire-breathing_ striped dragon right now. He shuddered and slipped into the space between the equipment shed and the cliff wall, where there was a small cavern that Akaashi and Kenma had discovered shortly after arriving at the dragon riders' base. Akaashi closed his eyes, trying to focus on the cool air and darkness. It worked for a moment, but then he leaned back against the cave wall, and the rough stone scraped at his shirt, tugging the fabric over his back, and then...

_Everything was hot. Too hot and too bright, until the smoke washed over him, stinging his eyes and nose and he coughed, tripped over something, fell to the ground._

_Heat swept over him, and something slammed into his back, pinning him._

_Hot, too hot, there was fire everywhere, he was pinned down, it hurt, there was a sickly sweet smell in the air, heavy and cloying, as he struggled. He cried out, and someone called back. He forced his eyes open, despite the fierce sting of smoke, and saw-_

"Give me one good reason I should tell you where he is," Kenma's voice jolted Akaashi out of his thoughts. Akaashi sank to the floor and curled forward, making sure his back wasn't touching the wall. He usually didn't have a problem with it, his back was fine, but Bokuto's fire... Seeing the dragon's jaws spark with flames...

"I need to talk to him, Kenma! You and Yaku and Suga all told me to talk to him if I wanted to know why he looked so scared of me!" Bokuto's voice insisted. 

"He looked scared of you because he was," Kenma snapped. Akaashi winced. He wanted to slip out of the cave, because Kenma should know better, this wasn't the way to handle Bokuto. "If he wanted to talk to you, he would have-" Akaashi sighed and tried to tune them out, but a thought occured to him. Why were they talking close enough to the cave for Akaashi to hear them? Akaashi frowned and caught the thread of their conversation again. Kenma's voice was tired and resigned. "-keep calm, okay?"

"I can do that," Bokuto assured Kenma. There was a little noise of disgust, and then Kenma spoke again. 

"Keiji." Akaashi flinched. "I know you can hear us." Akaashi wanted to just stay quiet. Maybe if he did, Kenma would think he was wrong about where Akaashi was hiding and look for him somewhere else. 

"Akaashi?" Bokuto's voice cracked. Akaashi flinched. He could picture the dragon - his voice wasn't as low and rumbling as usual, so he was probably actually in human form - with his eyes wide and hopeful, his mouth turned down with worry and that ridiculous black and white streaked hairstyle he'd chosen slumping out of its usual peaks. Akaashi got to his feet and slipped out of the cave, emerging from behind the equipment shed a moment later. "Akaashi!" Before Akaashi could say anything, Bokuto's arms were flung around him, pulling him close as the dragon in human form buried his face in Akaashi's shoulder. The heat of Bokuto's body was stifling, and Akaashi shuddered, gulping for air as flames danced behind his eyes. 

"Bokuto," Akaashi choked. "Bokuto, stop." The heat was too much, too much,  _too much, he couldn't breathe, there was smoke and heat everywhere_.

"Bokuto! Let go of him!" Kenma's voice cut through the heat, through the memories. Bokuto leaped back, and cool air rushed over Akaashi as he swayed. Kenma moved forward, caught Akaashi's arm. "Keiji, are you okay?" Akaashi closed his eyes and gripped his friend's shoulder to support himself. 

"I'm fine," Akaashi answered after a moment. "I...just leaned against the wall wrong, and then the heat..." Bokuto blinked, then seemed to realize the heat Akaashi was talking about was him, and he took another step farther away. 

"I'm sorry, I mean to...I don't know what I did, but..." 

"Bokuto. I nearly died in a fire when I was a child," Akaashi said, keeping his eyes closed so he wouldn't see the pity in the dragon's eyes. "I lost my parents, my home. I have scars on my back and legs. Fire terrifies me, and too much heat or pressure on my back can trigger flashbacks." 

"I'll just have to get better at controlling it, then," Bokuto announced. Akaashi's eyes flew open before he could think better of it. Bokuto was staring at him, determination sparking in his golden eyes. Bokuto held his hands out, palm up. For a heartbeat, Akaashi didn't move. Then, hesitantly, laid his hands on Bokuto's. Bokuto's palms were warm, slightly more so than a human's, but nowhere near the blinding heat that his body had radiated when he'd hugged Akaashi. Akaashi relaxed slightly, sliding his hands forward until he could curl his fingers around Bokuto's wrists. Bokuto drew him closer and pressed a nervous kiss to his cheek. "I want you to be my rider, Akaashi. I won't let anything ruin this. So if you want to keep flying with me, I'll do whatever I have to do to make you happy." Akaashi stared at him, and for once the heat rising in his cheeks had nothing to do with fear or fire. 

"I can't promise anything yet," Akaashi warned. Bokuto's shoulders drooped. "But we can try. Okay? I like flying with you, and I'd hate to lose you because of my past." Bokuto beamed and almost pulled Akaashi into a hug, then stopped and glanced at their hands cautiously. "Your temperature is fine right now," Akaashi assured him. Bokuto let out an excited whoop and threw his arms around Akaashi, who yelped and lost his balance. They both ended up on the ground, staring at each other for a second. Bokuto's eyes were so wide with surprise, his grin so sheepish that Akaashi had to laugh out loud. He could feel the heat building in Bokuto's form again, knew he'd have to push him away in a second, but for now, he grinned and reached out to ruffled the dragon's hair. Bokuto practically purred at the attention, and Akaashi took a steadying breath. He could do this. He could work with Bokuto, work through his fears and memories. 


	10. How I Met Your Makki

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title in honor of my pocket-sized Oikawa.  
> Chapter content in honor of Typhemoonrise who wanted to know how Makki and Mattsun met and stuff.

Hanamaki found Matsukawa right where he expected him to be, waiting by the entrance to Hanamaki's cave. 

"Hey," Matsukawa greeted him as Hanamaki landed just inside the cave and let out a short puff of flame that warmed the air around them. "Did Sawamura want to talk to you all about fire and mates and stuff, too?" Hanamaki nodded and flopped down in the middle of the floor, spreading his wings and letting them fall limply against the ground. 

"Apparently none of the others actually talk to their riders about things," Hanamaki sighed. Matsukawa climbed over the pink dragon's foreleg and settled against his chest, tucked between his neck and shoulder. 

"Well, none of the others have a rider as easy to talk to as I am," Matsukawa replied cheerfully. Hanamaki laughed, his scales warming as Matsukawa leaned against him. "Oikawa's been watching us, did you notice?" Hanamaki lifted his head and his neck to study the human thoughtfully, but didn't protest the subject change. 

"I think he's still confused as to how he only found out about you becoming a trainee when he saw you that day you got caught sneaking to see me," Hanamaki commented. Matsukawa snickered. 

"He hasn't exactly been home to visit, so no one's really kept in touch with him. It's his own fault he didn't know I decided I wanted to be a dragon rider and came here to train," Matsukawa replied. "Speaking of that day though..." Hanamaki folded his wings against his back and rolled onto his side, leaving Matsukawa to flop against the hard ground with an indignant huff. "Rude."

"You were about to tell me I'm not scary again," Hanamaki accused. Matsukawa gave him his best innocent expression. 

"I would never."

"You would. You do. All the time," Hanamaki huffed. 

"It's not my fault you're cute instead of intimidating," he snickered. Both fell silent, thinking back to the day they had first met. 

* * *

_Hanamaki was crouched on one of the cliffs along the road leading to the dragon riders' base, watching the potential rider trainees moving toward said base. One was trailing behind the last group, watching the others with a sort of...detached intensity. Hanamaki decided the straggler would be a good target. He launched himself off the cliff and landed right behind the human._

_"Don't you look like a tasty little-"_

_"Shh! Watch," the human interrupted, not even glancing back to see who - or what - was talking to him. Instead, he kept walking and pointed to a carriage Hanamaki had noticed and dismissed earlier. The dragon followed the human, staying behind him."I've been following that snob the whole trip, and I've been loosening the wheels on it every day." Hanamaki paused, eyeing the carriage more carefully. The wheels were wobbling dangerously, now that he thought about it. "They're going to fall off any second and dump that smug little bastard out of there and onto the road like everyone else."_

_"Why did you wait this long? Wouldn't it have been better to make them walk the whole trip by making the wheels come off on the first day?" Hanamaki questioned, lowering his head so he could study the human's back more closely._

_"Nah. He would've just bought a new one. But this is too close to the base. He'll have to walk the rest of the way now," the human answered. Hanamaki shifted, bringing his head into the human's peripheral view. The human glanced sideways, noticing the movement, then stopped in his tracks and turned to blink up at Hanamaki. "You're a dragon."_

_"Yeah, thanks for finally noticing," Hanamaki huffed. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Wait. Shouldn't you be startled? Afraid? I was trying to say earlier that you look like you'd taste-"_

_"Dragons don't actually eat humans. And you're small and pink. You're not scary," the human informed him._

_"I could still bite you in half," Hanamaki insisted._

_"I'd taste like sweat and dust, since I've been travelling so long to get here. And it would be a shame to-" A crash cut him off. "Damn! You made me miss the wheels coming off!" the human complained, noticing that the wheels had already flown off, ending up on the sides of the road, and the carriage had smashed into the ground, throwing the human who had been riding inside it out onto the ground._

_"You're really not scared. At all," Hanamaki realized. He huffed indignantly and flopped onto the ground._

_"Well like I said, you're not scary," the human replied, turning and crossing his arms as he frowned at Hanamaki. "I'm Matsukawa Issei, hopefully a soon-to-be rider trainee."  Hanamaki eyed him, then sighed._

_"I'm Hanamaki. Do you cause trouble like that all the time?" Hanamaki asked. Matsukawa shrugged._

_"Sometimes. It's fun. Why?"_

_"I want to help. The crash was funny," the dragon answered simply. Matsukawa blinked, then scowled._

_"You watched while you distracted me!" he accused._

_"I didn't mean to make you miss it. I'll make it up to you," Hanamaki offered._

_"Oh? How?"_

_"I'll sneak out to give you early flying practice," Hanamaki suggested. "And you can help me figure out how to be scarier."_

_"Why do you want to be scarier?" Matsukawa asked, tilting his head. It wasn't acceptance or rejection, so Hanamaki went along with the slight topic change._

_"Because it's funny to see the new humans be afraid," he answered. Matsukawa grinned._

_"You know what's funnier? Pranks."_

_"Pranks?"_

_"I'll teach you. In exchange for the flying, of course," Matsukawa told him. Hanamaki grinned, teeth flashing in the sunlight as he did so._

_"Deal."_

* * *

"I still don't think you're scary," Matsukawa murmured, sitting up and reaching out to scratch a soft spot on Hanamaki's belly, pulling them both from their thoughts about their first meeting. "Unless you count beauty as being intimidating." Hanamaki's scales flared with heat, and Matsukawa couldn't help but smirk a little. He knew exactly what to say to get the dragon's attention and approval. A moment passed, Hanamaki enjoying Matsukawa's attention as the human picked a different soft spot to scratch. "Takahiro."

The name slipped out, murmured under Matsukawa's breath. He didn't use it often, but just like every time he had used it in the past, Hanamaki's scales flared with even more heat, almost enough to be uncomfortable as Matsukawa kept scratching, and the dragon let out a soft sound between a whine and a purr.

 


	11. Haiba's Heart

“So, Lev, you flew us all the way out here to talk. What do you want to talk about?” Yaku asked, sliding off of Haiba’s back. The young silver dragon hesitated, then turned to face Yaku and lowered his head to the human’s level. 

“I want to talk about fire and stuff,” Haiba said seriously, fiery green eyes determined. 

“Shouldn’t you talk to one of the older dragons about that?” Yaku pointed out, crossing his arms. 

“No, not...fire in general. I want to talk to you, about…” Haiba trailed off, and Yaku grimaced. He knew exactly what this was about, and he should have been more prepared, what with the trainees pairing off and the young unassigned dragons starting to spill sparks around their chosen trainees. 

“I thought this might happen,” Yaku admitted. “Haiba, you need to understand…”

“What happened to calling me Lev?” Haiba’s eyes were wide, and he stepped back, his head lifting slightly in an attempt to move farther away without seeming to run. “I want you to call me Lev. I want-”

“You can’t always have what you want,” Yaku interrupted, keeping his tone gentle but firm. “Haiba, I didn’t want to take you on as my dragon for this year. I thought you understood why.” 

“Because I’m too wild, and uncoordinated. But I’ll get better! I’m going to be the best dragon ever! For you!” Haiba insisted. Yaku shook his head. 

“No. Your behavior does irritate me sometimes, but mostly I was afraid you would get attached. I’m not going to stay as your rider, Haiba. There are other dragons I can help.”

“But those dragons won’t protect you like I can! I’m...I’m on fire when you’re near me. I want you to be with me forever,” Haiba protested.

“You see me as a mate,” Yaku sighed. “Haiba, you’re young.”

“So what? I know what I want!” the silver dragon crouched low, brought his head down again, nudged at Yaku’s arm with his long scaled snout. “I want you.” Yaku grimaced and patted the dragon’s nose once before stepping back, gently pushing his head away when Haiba tried to follow.

“You look at me and see a mate,” Yaku repeated. “But I look at you and I see a hatchling. I helped raise you, Haiba. You’ll always be a child to me. That’s how it works.” 

“But Tsutomu-”

“Don’t try to use Tsutomu and Hayato as an example. They met when Tsutomu was older, when he was ready to learn to fly. Tsutomu was already half grown,” Yaku snapped, hoping to shut this line of conversation - of nonexistent hope for the young dragon - down before Haiba got too invested. “Haiba, Hayato was there when Tsutomu learned how to fly. I was there when you were still learning how to  _ crawl. _ I have never seen you as anything more than a young dragon with a lot of potential.”

“Flock Two’s intermediate riders didn’t start out loving their dragons. But with time-”

“Haiba.” Yaku let his frustration show, but tucked his guilt at letting things get this far down so deep in his heart that it would never resurface, not in front of Haiba. “I don’t want to be your rider. That is all I have to say on the matter. You can choose me, formally request me, even breathe fire for me all you want, but I will not agree. You need to move on and find someone who can match your enthusiasm, who wants your fire.” Yaku turned his back on the dragon and walked away from him, back towards the base. “Fly back alone, Haiba. I’ll walk.” 

“But I can’t just leave you out here! I’m still your dragon for the rest of the year! I have to protect you!” Haiba protested. 

“Haiba. Go home. You’re not my dragon, and I’m not your rider. And I never will be.” Yaku made his voice hard, unforgiving, and was glad he’d already turned away from Haiba, because the whine the young dragon let out was the most painful thing Yaku had hear in a long time, the most painful thing he’d heard since he had a similar conversation with Kuroo over a year ago. But no matter how much potential he saw in Haiba Lev, he couldn’t love him, not the way Haiba wanted. Yaku could never be interested in someone he’d always seen as...not quite his child. But maybe his odd, loud, overly exuberant nephew. All of the dragons he’d helped raise were his family, and he could never see them as someone he could be interested in romantically. 

The sound of Haiba’s wingbeats drowned out Yaku’s thoughts for a moment, then faded into the distance. Yaku shook his head in an attempt to clear it. When that didn’t work, he groaned and lowered himself to the ground. He really, really didn’t want to actually walk all the way back - Haiba had flown them quite a ways out - but maybe if he stayed where he was, someone would come looking for him. Maybe Komori and that new fledgling he was working with and considering working with long term, Kawanishi. Maybe Suga and Sawamura. Either way, Yaku realized he was kind of grateful for the time alone. He hated having to turn down the young dragons who seemed to get far too attached to their caretakers, some of them in the wrong way. Yaku was glad he’d have some peace and quiet. 

There was a horrified screech, a furious roar, and then a half familiar brown dragon tumbled out of the sky. Yaku gaped as the dragon hit the ground without any attempt to break its own fall. That was...one of the rogues who’d attacked the flock before. Yaku heard another screech overhead, but he ignored it for the moment as he ran toward the brown dragon, who hadn’t moved since the impact. He reached the dragon’s head and slipped his hand under the dragon’s chin, searching for a soft spot that would let him check the dragon’s pulse. Before he could find one, another dragon landed right behind him. Yaku whirled and found the dark gold rogue snarling at him. 

“Don’t touch him, you filthy human!” the gold one roared. Yaku held up his hands to show he was unarmed. 

“Let me check him out. He must be hurt pretty badly to fall like that. I have some experience working with injured dragons,” Yaku added. It was technically true. He’d been a rehabilitation rider for seriously injured and unassigned dragons a few times. The gold one hissed, and Yaku scowled. He was  _ not  _ afraid of this dragon. The golden rogue was smaller than Ushijima. Smaller than a lot of dragons Yaku had faced down, and upon a closer look, he looked like he hadn’t eaten a proper meal in days. Maybe more than a week. His scales were dull from malnutrition; no wonder they were so dark. And his eyes were hollow and full of fear and worry and anger. “Let me help if I can. I won’t hurt either of you.” Yaku thought back, trying to remember what they’d told Kyoutani their names were. “You’re...Yuuji, right? The brown one is Suguru?”

“You’ll call us Terushima and Daishou, worm,” the gold rogue snarled. Yaku put his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes. 

“You’ll call me Yaku, then. And would you be Terushima or Daishou?” Yaku added, tilting his head. The dragon mimicked him unconsciously. 

“I’m Terushima,” he growled. 

“Great! Well, Terushima, if you fly me to the riders’ base, I can fetch a medic team to come bring your friend in for treatment,” Yaku suggested. Terushima snarled and backed away. 

“You’re not touching me,” he snapped. “Much less getting on my back.” Yaku shook his head. 

“Your friend needs help. I can’t help him without supplies.” Yaku cast his gaze over the limp brown dragon, noting the most obvious wounds and worrying about what less obvious damage there might be. “At least one of his wings is broken, and that leg doesn’t look too good either. Look, even one of his horns is broken off.”

“If we go into the humans’ base, we won’t leave,” Terushima growled, taking another step back. “Humans enslave dragons. We can’t...I can’t let you near him!” Terushima seemed to overcome his fear and advanced on Yaku, fangs bared and wings half-raised threateningly. 

“We don’t enslave dragons,” Yaku snapped. “We work with them. And no one will force you or your friend to stay after he gets medical treatment, I swear. I just want to help, and I’ll protect you both. I promise. And if I break that promise, you can always just bite me in half or something,” Yaku added. “But if you don’t get me there soon, it won’t matter. You said to call him Daishou, right? Well, Daishou could be bleeding internally, and the shock to his system could kill him faster than the internal damage. He needs help, and-”

“Fine,” Terushima snarled. “I’ll fly you to your stupid base. But you’re not getting on my back. I’ll carry you.” Yaku opened his mouth to ask how exactly Terushima intended to carry him, but the dragon lunged forward and wrapped his talons around Yaku’s body as he lifted off. Yaku swore, but unfortunately his words were lost in the rush of wind from Terushima’s wings as he lifted them both into the air. 


End file.
